From the Calontir Armorial

Lady Melanie de la Tour

Feel free to call me Melanie (MEL-ah-nee)

Persona:

• 12th century Anglo-Norman minor noblewoman
• Born in Yorkshire, c. 1125
• Melanie was being groomed to be married to a local nobleman, but she chose to accompany a cousin on crusade to the Holy Land instead (he had a weak chin).
• She married while on pilgrimage in Outremer, but is now amicably separated from her husband (who lives with his mistress). She now concentrates on supporting the arts and good works.
• Interests include: music (vocal and instrumental performance), period music in original languages, bardic composition and performance, religious life and liturgy.
• Link to Calontir Armorial - http://armorial.calontir.org/Pages/MelaTour.htm
  
  
  
  

History in the SCA:

• Timeline:
  • I found the SCA in 1980, but left the Midwest shortly afterwards. Consequently, until 2015, although a native of Three Rivers, I had never lived in the Kingdom of Calontir.
  • AoA (East) in 2002 from Darius and Roxane
  • Name and device registered (via East) in 2008
  • Seahorse (East--Ostgardr) in 2013
  • Golden Swan (Calontir) in 2016 from Matsunaga and Elena

• Significant events since then (competitions, championships, tourneys, first event, etc.)
  • Bardic Champion of the Crown Province of Ostgardr, 2008-2009
  • Champion of the Calontir Bardic College (holder of the Big Damn Stick), 2015-2016
  • Link to Calontir OP - http://op.calontir.org/persona.php?p=4458

• Groups and Affiliations:
  • Current Group: Barony of Three Rivers
  • Previous Groups: Crown Province of Ostgardr (greater NYC)
  • Apprenticed to Mistress Morgana Bro Morganwg
  • Guilds, Households, etc: Brother of the Great Dark Horde (http://www.greatdarkhorde.org/)

• Offices:
  • 1998-2003 - Deputy Seneschal of the Canton of Whyt Whey (NYC--Manhattan)
  • 2007-2008 - Canton Chatelaine, Whyt Whey
  • 2008-2009 - Canton MOAS, Whyt Whey
  • 2009-2013 - Seneschal of the Canton of Whyt Whey (by Ostgardr bylaws, canton seneschals are deputy provincial seneschals and officers of the Crown Province of Ostgardr)

• Other service:
  • 2009-2010 - Staff, Quartermaster's Office, Pennsic
  • 2011-2012 - Deputy Quartermaster, Pennsic
  • 2013 - Staff, Pennsic
  • 2009-2013 - Autocrat for SCA Demo at The Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park (NYC)--a public event co-sponsored by NYC Parks Department and the Medieval Festival Guild of New York, which regularly draws over 40,000 in one day.

• Related Experience
  • 1983-4 - Vendor Coordinator for the Medieval Festival Guild of New York
  • 1985 - Co-Coordinator for the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park

• Classes Taught
  • 2009-2013 - Walk Like a Phoenician: Belly Dancing in Ancient Sources (Pennsic). Originally piloted as a workshop for the Crown Province of Ostgardr in 2006. Also taught at Gulf Wars, 2012. Powerpoint slides and sources hand-out are available to download.
  • 2009-2013 - Arianism: Going Gothic in the Early Middle Ages (Pennsic).
  • 2011 - Research 101 (Ostgardr Schola)
  • 2016 - Contrafacta: Yes, Filking is Period (Valor). Also taught at Pennsic 2017.
  • 2017 - Ballads: Stories in Song (Pennsic). Originally piloted as an A&S class for the Barony of Three Rivers.

Other Information

• My bardic bio is located at: http://tilted-windmill.com/midbards/bards.html#115
• My bardic YouTube channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrSuS3kGILqrBnuOyTX-eg/featured?view_as=subscriber
• Lyrics and documentation for original bardic works:
  • Eislinn's War (lyrics, music, and documentation): http://tilted-windmill.com/uploads/115-lyric-Eislinns_War.pdf
  • Eislinn's War video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU8TSbtdHAE
  • Ode to Duke Ostwald
  • Return to Calontir

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Revised Feb 5, 2018 1:54 pm.
Created Aug 7, 2016 5:10 am.